While the winter of 2009/2010 is not yet over, Europe has suffered from record low temperatures and heavy snowfalls, while the Mid-Atlantic United States has experienced record-braking snowfalls, the most recent crippling the Nation’s Capitol city of Washington, D.C. Meanwhile the Northeastern United States and Pacific Northwest have been experiencing temperatures warmer than usual and below normal precipitation, forcing Vancouver, B.C. to haul in snow for the winter Olympics. In spite of the fact that these conditions are exactly what is to be expected from climate change, the more severe winter conditions have brought out the climate deniers in full force. It is thus probably germane to repeat some of the fundamentals of global warming/climate change.
Sphere: Related ContentBrowsing Posts tagged global warming
Comprehension of a complex process is often aided by a clear, common understanding of the vocabulary. This is especially true in the study of climatology.
"Global Warming" and "Climate Change" are two terms that are often, and erroneously, used interchangeably. While it is important to know the difference between these two terms, we must also know how they interact.
Sphere: Related ContentI have written elsewhere, including this blog, about the folly of such “feel-good, green gestures” as screwing in compact fluorescent bulbs as a meaningful effort to address climate change. While such gestures may have some value as a sensitizing tool, or as as a reminder of the issue, actions of a far greater magnitude are required to slow the rate of climate change. The most effective action that any individual citizen can take is to maintain pressure upon their leaders to pass, and enforce meaningful laws and regulations that both restrict the emission of greenhouse gases and encourage innovation in developing new energy sources.
Sphere: Related ContentSun, gravity and rocks – what do they have in common? They are the ultimate source of virtually all energy on earth. All fossil fuels, such as coal and oil; wood; and biofuels are organic compounds resulting from the capture of solar energy by plant photosynthesis. Solar energy also powers the air currents that we call "wind" and plays a major role in the hydrologic cycle. The natural decay of radioactive elements in rocks, primarily uranium, thorium and probably potassium, is the major source of heat at the earth's core (geothermal energy) and the nuclear fission or fusion of highly refined (concentrated) radioactive elements provides energy for power plants and our "atomic" weapons. The force of Earth's can be converted into hydropower by harnessing running water, while the gravitational pull of the moon provides a largely unexploited source of tidal energy.
Sphere: Related ContentThe United States Global Change Research Program (USGCRP) released a major, new report on June 15, 2008 detailing the science and impacts of climate change on the United States. The USGCRP was established by the Global Change Research Act of 1990 and includes participants from 13 Federal agencies and departments plus support from major universities and organizations. The new report describes current and future impacts of climate change upon the nation, its economy and society. continue reading…
Sphere: Related ContentWhile the United States makes up only about 5% of the worlds population it is one of the largest emitters of greenhouse gases. While the U.S. emissions of greenhouse gases per capita are greater than for any other nation, a recent study showed that Americans are divided about the reality of global climate change with only 51% of the population believing that climate change is real and is a serious problem. continue reading…
Sphere: Related ContentRecently published(1) results from the most comprehensive, predictive computer modeling show that unless rapid and drastic actions are taken, global warming over the next century will be about twice as severe as previously estimated. Developed at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (USA) Joint Program on the Science and Policy of Global Change, the MIT Integrated Global Systems Model includes economic activity and other human activities, and associated energy usage in different countries, in addition to the physical aspects of climate change utilized by other models.
Sphere: Related ContentA report in today’s issue of the magazine “Science” published by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) provides a new prespective on the role of fire in Global Climate Change. This publication, in the most prestigious U.S. scientific journal, concludes that the effects of fire on the Earth’s ecosystems and processes, and Global Climate Change “have been underestimated” (Fire in the Earth System. Bowman et al. Science 24 April 2009: 481-484).
Sphere: Related Content"Feedback" is a term to describe myriad processes in both the biological and physical components of our ecosystems. Feedback is not at all a new discovery, or one that is unique to global warming/climate change. While in the past feedback processes have been cited for contributing to the stability of ecosystems, feedback processes are also critical threats to the stability of global systems in response to global warming. In this context, feedback processes can be considered a response to an external addition of energy to a system that magnifies, or increases, that energy input. Some examples may help.
Sphere: Related Content
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 United States License.